Desperate Measures
by OoZolaoO
Summary: When the Brotherhood's antics go a little too far and end in the death of a civilian, the X-Men are shocked. They are further shaken as a new recruit flees to their doorstep: an old, powerful enemy. But desperate times call for desperate measures...right?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hey everyone, welcome to my first ever X-Men fic! (: I just recently discovered the TV series and have been pretty excited about it...it was only a matter of time before I wrote a fic, eh?

X-Men and all the characters (c) Marvel, storyline (c) myself. Enjoy!

* * *

**Desperate Measures**

It was early March, and winter had begun to melt away across the landscape of Professor Xavier's Institute for Gifted Children. The frost coating of the early mornings gave way to fresh dewdrops sprinkling the lawn turned a pale green with new growth. The bits of snow lingering in the shaded peaks of the rooftops finally vanished, and trees, bushes, and flowers alike put forth shoots and buds. Birds which had flown south for the winter made themselves known again as their vibrant songs echoed sweetly in the steadily-warming air. Spring had sprung.

The students of the Xavier Institute had quickly taken notice of the warmer days and sun. Afternoons quickly filled with lively games of basketball or fast-paced swimming competitions in the large pond on the Institute's grounds. Many students moved their homework outside to soak up rays of sunlight and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.

Rogue slipped into the bedroom she and Kitty Pryde shared, gazing absently out the open window as she dropped her backpack at the foot of her bed. The fabulous weather meant that her last period history class was becoming even more difficult than usual to concentrate on; she was happy to be home where she could at least enjoy the sun. She unzipped her backpack and fished out the novel she was supposed to be reading for English class, stopping at the window before she left the room.

There weren't any relays going on in the pond today, but the basketball court was occupied by a group of eight mutants playing four-on-four. A blonde boy leapt up to snatch the ball from the air, and Rogue recognized Sam. _They're probably playing 'no-powers,'_ she mused. _Else Sam's _letting _them win_. The latter was highly unlikely.

She recognized some of her other teammates as well. Jean was studying under the shade of a budding oak tree with Scott lying on his back in the grass beside her. Rogue bit back the familiar bitterness rising in her throat at the sight of the two together. She quickly moved her gaze away from Scott and Jean, determinedly searching out her other friends.

There was Amara, or "Magma," with a ball for Rahne in her lupine form. Rahne watched the dark-haired mutant with total focus, her reddish tail stirring the grass around her. Amara suddenly flicked out her wrist and let the ball fly, sending Rahne bounding after it.

Kitty was half-heartedly reading the same novel as Rogue from a bench near the basketball court, though it was clear she was more interested in the game than the book. Professor Xavier was wheeling along the garden paths and chatting with Ororo on his left. Ororo, more commonly known as "Storm," was laughing, the normal lines of tension deep against her skin relaxed. Rogue felt a smile tug at her lips. She was happy to see Storm so relaxed. She deserved rest from her numerous responsibilities.

Logan was on a bench near Kitty's, absorbed in a newspaper article. He also looked calm, though "relaxed" was not the right word. Rogue didn't think she had ever seen Logan anywhere near relaxed.

Her eyes landed on her favorite place to sit: a large marble fountain surrounded by the rose garden. She was relieved to find it unoccupied and moved away from the window, heading outside at long last.

At the end of the hallway, the pad of approaching footsteps drew her attention to a corridor to the right. It was Kurt, walking towards his room. Rogue noted a slump in his body language and paused. He hadn't looked good at school today either, when she had seen him.

"Hey, Kurt," she called softly. He glanced up.

"Oh, hello, Rogue," he replied in his gentle accent, blinking slowly at her.

"What's wrong?" Rogue asked, confused by his lack of energy. From his wilting pointed ears to his forked tail dragging on the floor, Kurt looked exhausted.

"Nothing, really." He attempted to shake her questions with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Are you comin' outside?" Rogue tried a different approach.

Kurt shook his head. "_Nein_," he answered, lapsing into his native German. "I'm going to bed."

"Kurt, what's _wrong_ with you?" Rogue had quickly lost patience with his weak answers. She was starting to worry about him, she realized. "You look like a limp noodle."

That at least drew a real smile from him, albeit a faint one. "I do feel like a limp noodle," he replied. "It's my allergies. I couldn't breathe well enough to sleep at _all_ last night."

Rogue winced. "That's too bad. Are you feelin' any better?"

Kurt shrugged. "Some, I guess. The Professor gave me something that helps me to breathe better, and it also makes me sleepy. I'm going to try to get some rest before dinner."

"Ah hope you feel better," Rogue replied, beginning to descend the stairs. Kurt smiled as he entered his room and closed his door behind him.

_I feel sorry for him_, Rogue thought to herself as she stepped out onto the first floor. _He really does look worn out_.

"Rogue! _Duck_!" The second she exited the building she heard the shouted command and instantly obeyed, crouching low to the ground. At a school for mutants, when someone told you to duck, you ducked, and you ducked quickly. Rahne's ball whizzed overhead, set ablaze by Amara's powers, and landed in the pond with a cloud of steam. Rahne plunged into the water after it, her tongue lolling from her mouth.

Rogue straightened and brushed herself off, tucking her book under her arm as she continued towards her favored position by the fountain. As the teenage girl picked her way across the whitewashed cobblestone path, she couldn't help but smile. One of the sun's wandering rays gilded her cheek with warmth, and a gentle breeze made her hair whisper on her neck. By the time she got to the fountain, she was thoroughly content.

She hadn't had her book open for more than three minutes when a mind-call rang inside her head. _**X-Men, report to the Planning Room immediately!**_ It was Professor Xavier, and his tone was urgent. Rogue sighed in frustration as she closed her book and got to her feet. All across the backyard, she saw her teammates drifting towards the Mansion. Evan reluctantly abandoned his game on the basketball court and walked in with Kitty and Logan. Jean and Scott gathered their study materials from under the tree. Storm and Professor X were nowhere to be found. _Probably inside_, Rogue reasoned. _The Professor probably got an alert and went in to check it out._ Hank would be inside as well, as would Kurt. Rogue wondered if Kurt would make it to the meeting. She doubted it; hopefully he was asleep by now.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay, chapter one! (: Chapter two is nearly finished, so keep your eyes peeled! Reviews are wonderful and welcomed.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Whoo hoo, chapter two! Anyways, thank you to everyone reading this, and thanks _especially_ to The Evil Carlita, who commented on the last chapter. You rock! :D

And of course, I still don't own X-Men or the characters. Unfortunately. ):

* * *

**Desperate Measures**

Rogue was one of the last to enter the Planning Room, though nothing seemed to have happened yet. Professor X sat facing the semicircle of chairs, talking with Hank in a low, quick tone. Storm stood on his right with Evan, and Kitty, Jean, and Scott were assembled facing him. Rogue remained by the door, hesitant to take a seat. She didn't see Kurt or Logan.

"Thank you for coming, everyone," Professor Xavier's voice brought all conversation in the room to a halt; all the mutants turned to face him.

"Has anyone seen Kurt?" Storm asked as she gazed about the room, a look of puzzlement on her face.

"Ah think he's sleeping," Rogue said, drawing Kitty and Scott's gazes.

"No, I'm not," Kurt spoke from behind them. They all turned to see him slip in, closing the heavy oak door. Rogue was surprised he hadn't simply teleported in; seeing Nightcrawler walking anywhere was a rare sight at the Mansion.

Under the light of the Planning Room, Rogue could see what the darkened hallway had hidden. Kurt's pale eyes were red-rimmed and dull, a far cry from their normal brightness. His nose also was red and raw-looking, and his entire body position drooped.

Scott started to his feet. "Kurt, what's up?" he asked, alarmed. Jean and Kitty's faces showed identical expressions of concern.

"Allergies," Kurt replied, managing a weary smile. "I'm fine to go on a mission, though."

"Kurt, why don't you go back to bed?" the Professor suggested kindly. "I'm sure you'll feel the better for it."

"And you _don't_ need to be out in the field in anything less than top shape," Logan growled from a position against the wall, making Rogue jump. She hadn't heard him come in.

"Logan and the Professor are right, Kurt," Storm agreed.

"Are you sure you can do the mission without me?" Kurt asked, hesitating by the door. He was reluctant to leave, yet Rogue could tell he wasn't up for any sort of combat.

"Go to bed, Kurt," Scott finished the argument, his tone firm.

"Yessir," Kurt saluted him tiredly, slipping back out the door with a wave over his shoulder.

"Feel better, Kurt!" Kitty called at his retreating figure. "I hope he's okay," she added in a lower tone to Jean. The telepath nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, about our mission," Professor Xavier spoke, drawing everyone's attention once more. "After our last skirmish with the Brotherhood, Storm and I decided it would be beneficial to have more information about their plans, _before_ they happen. And thanks to Kitty and Kurt, we have recently bugged sections of their boarding house." Kitty smiled as Scott clapped her on the back, though her pride was diminished somewhat by the absence of her partner-in-crime.

"What have you found out, Professor?" Jean asked, tucking her red hair behind her ear.

"I was getting to that, Jean," he smiled kindly at her, like to a favorite grandchild. "We have discovered that the Brotherhood are suffering financially for the first time since they attempted to take the proceeds from Bayville High's carnival fundraiser. After some deliberation on their part, they have decided to rob a downtown bank, more than one if they are able. Unfortunately, they have since moved their discussions to rooms we were unable to infiltrate at the time, so we only have a date."

"Not a time, or a bank?" Scott's tone was frustrated.

Professor X shook his head regretfully. "I'm afraid not. Their plans were rather sketchy to begin with, and we missed any decisions."

"But their numbers will be smaller," Hank chimed in. "Since Tabitha is no longer siding with them, she won't be able to, well…"

"Blast holes in things?" Rogue contributed dryly.

"Precisely," Hank grinned.

"Who are we taking?" Jean wanted to know.

"The seven senior X-Men and myself, taking Amara in the stead of Kurt," Hank replied. "We knew this morning he wasn't feeling well, so we made the necessary arrangements."

"We leave in an hour," Storm spoke, her tone even.

"Tonight?" Kitty raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, tonight. Be in the entrance hall in fifty minutes for group assignments," Logan instructed. Rogue sighed. So much for any semblance of a relaxing evening.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm sorry about the length of this one, but the next one is twice is long, so hang in there! Here's my question, though: Should I post the next two chapters separately (roughly 1300 words and rougly 1600 words) or post them together as a whopping 2900 word chapter? It's up to you guys. (:

And I think it's fair to say that I'm super excited about this fic. I have the majority of it outlined, and I'm hoping I can make it all the way to the end.

Thanks for reading! (: And remember, reviewers are a writer's best friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Whew, sorry for the delay, everyone! Summer's uberbusy, even for me. Anyways, here's the next chapter as promised. I decided to have one super long chapter instead of two shorter ones. (: Enjoy!

* * *

**Desperate Measures**

"Scott, why can't _I_ drive?" Kitty whined from the front seat of the X-Van. "I have my learner's permit and _everything_!" It was a little over an hour later; Rogue had ended up in the back of the X-Van paired to patrol with Kitty and Scott.

"Because it's just that, a _learner's_ permit," Scott replied patiently. He wasn't attempting to hold back a smile. "You can drive the X-Van to missions once you get your actual license, okay?"

"Fine." Kitty let out her breath in an annoyed huff. "But I'll remember you said that."

Rogue sighed and closed her eyes, pressing her face against the cool bulletproof glass of the window. She, Kitty, and Scott were charged with checking out the backstreets and alleys of downtown Bayville in hopes that they could catch the Brotherhood before any serious damage was done. And as Professor Xavier had added, they would be "able to respond quickly to a summons." It made sense, placing the three of them together on ground patrol; Rogue and Kitty couldn't do much from the air, and none of their powers were well-suited to stealth or intervention. Naturally, Scott would act as the leader.

"You okay back there, Rogue?" Scott's voice intruded upon her thoughts, and she reluctantly opened her eyes.

"Yeah," Rogue replied, brushing a stray hair from her face. "Just thinkin'."

"Well, we're almost in position. Be on your toes," he ordered. Rogue obediently sat up straighter. She had discovered in Logan's training sessions that the more relaxed your body position was, the more difficult it was to leap into action. The majority of them had learned that lesson the hard way, as Logan had recently become prone to ambushing his students. Rogue still had bruises from him.

"_Cyclops, we're in position. Do you copy?_"The communicator haphazardly flung into a front cup holder crackled to life; it was Storm's voice. Kitty grabbed it.

"We copy, Storm. We're nearing our first destination," she added as the X-Van slowed and turned into one of the poorly-lit side streets that formed a maze inside the city limits.

"_Roger that, Shadowcat. Over and out._"

"_We're in position as well, Storm,"_ Jean's voice sounded from the communicator as she broadcasted her message to all the teams. _"Ready to commence with operations."_

_"Commence away, Jean," _Hank's deep voice replied.

"_We're goin' in. Stay sharp, kids," _Logan cautioned from Jean's team.

"So what do we do now?" Kitty asked Scott as the X-Van turned again and rolled to a halt in the rear of a narrow passageway leading back to Main Street.

"We wait," he answered, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back in the driver's seat. "Logan and Jean's team is checking out the east side of town while Storm and Hank fly overhead and see if they can spot the Brotherhood. If we get a radio of a location--"

"--we get over there as fast as we can," Kitty finished.

"And if they spot nothing, we begin combing the west side and meet them at a halfway point," Rogue added.

"Good." Scott nodded his approval. "So we should probably--"

"_Cyclops, come in! Do you read?"_ Storm's transmission was rough and full of static. Scott lunged for the communicator and nearly dropped it in the process.

"Loud and clear, Storm," he replied once he had recovered it. "What's up?"

"_Wolverine's team has spotted the Brotherhood exiting the Riverside Bank,_" Storm replied. _"They will try to hinder them without a straight attack, but you are needed immediately. Make sure to--" _She broke off, her voice blending with the muffled sounds in the background of her transmission. Scott was about to radio her again when Hank's voice came on.

"_We have a confrontation! I repeat, we have a confrontation! The enemy has engaged Party Two. Backup required, Cyclops, and hurry!"_

"_I'm sending you the coordinates_," Storm spoke again.

"Coordinates received," Scott replied as a small box set on the dashboard flashed a green light and beeped. "We're on our way."

"_Roger that._"

The static from Storm's reply had hardly begun to cut off before Scott threw the van into reverse and shot backwards into the net of alleyways.

"What are you doing?" Kitty yelled, holding onto her armrests for dear life.

"Taking a shortcut!" Scott shouted, slamming into drive and rocketing forward down the narrow corridors.

"Do we know where we're going?" Rogue asked, panic entering her voice as trashcans Scott had been too slow to avoid clattered against the brick walls on either side of them.

"I hope so!" Kitty turned to shout back, her skin frighteningly pale.

"Hang on!" Scott bellowed and shoved the gas pedal to the floor, increasing their speed by half again. Kitty shrieked and phased through her seat, hurtling into Rogue behind her. Rogue was about to snap at her and push her away when she saw tears glimmering in Kitty's brown eyes. She hadn't meant to phase through – she had simply lost control of her powers.

Without thinking, Rogue gathered the younger girl to her, holding her close as Kitty began shaking in fright. Why had she all of a sudden _lost_ it? Rogue wondered. They had faced worse than Scott's bad driving in training sessions.

"Scott, are you crazy?" Rogue yelled, her eyes blazing. "You're going to get us _killed!_" Kitty shifted in her arms, carefully avoiding Rogue's skin even as she trembled.

Scott didn't answer, only swung a right turn so wide that Rogue's seatbelt nearly choked her. She dragged it away, making a mental note to give Scott a stern scolding later, if not only for terrifying Kitty. The girl had curled up into a ball against Rogue's side, hiding her eyes.

Five terrifying minutes later, the X-Van screeched to a halt in an alley two blocks over from the Riverside Bank, its tires skidding against the worn pavement. The three occupants of the van were launched forward; Rogue held Kitty tightly to keep her from going through the windshield.

"Come on!" Scott was out of the van in a flash. A tremor rolled through the ground, making him stagger. When he had regained his balance, he realized he was still alone. "_Rogue_!"

Rogue looked down at the quivering Kitty and made a split-second decision. "Go on without me!" she called through the car's open front door. "I'm staying with Kitty! We'll follow you."

Scott looked like he was about to argue when another quake rocked the ground. "Hurry!" he yelled, slamming the door behind him and sprinting off towards the not-so-distant glow of a fire.

The closed van sealed off most ambient noise from the outside, but the two girls still felt the earthquakes rumbling through the ground.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Rogue finally hissed to Kitty, startling the girl into meeting her gaze. "Ah've _never_ seen you fall apart like this before." Her eyes were soft, however, gentling her demand.

Kitty broke her gaze and pulled away from Rogue, drawing her knees to her chest. The young brunette stared at the back of driver's seat, her eyes unfocused. At least she wasn't shaking anymore, Rogue noticed. She sighed. "Look, if I can do anything--"

"I'll be fine," Kitty managed, drawing in a shaky breath. "Just…give me a moment."

Rogue paused. Another earthquake shook the van. "Will you be okay if I leave? I think we need all the help we can get," she added, indicating the fiery glow. Kitty swallowed and nodded. Rogue hesitantly reached out and clasped Kitty's shoulder reassuringly, then opened her door and leapt from the car.

"Good luck," she heard Kitty whisper as the door closed behind her.

----

The first thing she noticed as she ran onto the scene was the oversized mutant known as "The Blob" about to crush Spyke. Rogue froze, not wanting to interfere if she could help it, but everyone was fighting their own battles. Steeling herself, she removed her left glove and sprinted across the space between herself and Evan's attacker. She pressed her skin against his and gritted her teeth as her vision went black and a rushing sound rose in her ears. His power crashed into her like a battering ram, filing her mind and veins with a burning, itching pressure. Uncontrolled rage and the wild desire to cause pain swept over her, choking her mind. Grimly she beat back his swirling memories with her will and shook herself as he dropped like a stone.

"Thanks!" Spyke yelled as he grabbed his board and wheeled away, shooting jagged projectiles from his bared forearms. Rogue took the temporary lull in action as an opportunity to see what was going on around her.

She leaned against the wall of an office building across the street from the bank which was, alarmingly, in flames. Yet another earthquake ripping through the ground confirmed her suspicions; it was Avalanche's work.

Spyke was speeding towards the heart of the action, where Avalanche, Cyclops, and Jean were locked in battle. Storm was drawing down rain to wash Toad's suffocating goo from her face while the amphibious mutant danced around her, taunting recklessly. Rogue let them be; she knew that the tide of that battle was soon to turn.

The Beast had rushed in to help the offensive on Avalanche when the Blob tackled him from behind. Rogue winced to see him on his feet again, wishing she had taken more of his powers while she had the chance. She had forgotten that he was harder to knock out. The Beast sprang free and leapt onto the Blob's back, roaring defiance. Wolverine was dueling with Quicksilver, slashing at where he expected to find his speedy opponent, while Magma stood by and launched flaming missiles into the fray. A cloud of smoke and a yelp told her she had met her mark; Quicksilver was now made more visible by the tail of smoke following his path. Logan pounced with a rippling snarl.

"Spyke!" Rogue yelled, drawing the boy's attention as she ran towards him. He wheeled over towards her, launching a spike over his shoulder towards Toad.

"I don't see Wanda!" she continued, pitching her voice over the sounds of the fight. Spyke spun, scanning the outsides of the battle as if the same thing had occurred to him.

"Stay with me!" he yelled in return, projecting a particularly long thorn from his right forearm.

A yell of triumph drew Rogue's attention to Jean's battle, where she and Cyclops together had managed to knock Avalanche to the ground. Cyclops stood poised on a mound of upturned concrete like a statue of an ancient hero, one hand prepared to fire his optic blast. The red jet of light shot from his visor with a scream, but was only halfway to the downed Avalanche when it froze, surrounded by a wavering blue veil, and turned to shoot back at Cyclops.

"Get down!" Jean pulled him the ground with a yell, both of them narrowly missing the recoil. The beam rocketed overhead and hit a part of the bank wall still standing, bringing it down with a roar.

"_There's_ our witch!" Spyke exclaimed, pointing to the scarlet-robed figure stepping out from behind an overturned car.

"I see her," Logan growled, coming up behind Rogue. He was breathing hard and streaked with blood and sweat, though Rogue could see no open wounds on him. Once again she was grateful for his regenerative powers.

Wanda, known as "The Scarlet Witch," raised hands shimmering with blue light and lowered them with a yell, sending her power washing over the ground between her and the X-Men. Her face was contoured with anger, her eyes gleaming in the fading evening light. Everything in the path of her energy was disfigured: streetlamps twisted, concrete collapsed into the sewers below, cars crushed in on themselves.

"Jean!" Logan bellowed to make his voice heard over the grating of metal. Jean closed her eyes and pointed with her left hand, the fingers spread. Wanda's powers passed over them, leaving a safe zone in the shape of a large bubble. The blue swirled around the bubble, tinting it an odd color as Jean strained to keep it together. Finally the majority of the light vanished, and Jean opened her eyes, swaying.

"I don't feel so good," she whispered before her eyes rolled up into her head. Scott leapt forward and caught her as she collapsed.

"We've got to get her out of here!" he yelled over the scream of concrete on concrete as both Avalanche and the Scarlet Witch bent the earth to their wills. Scott staggered, thrown off balance by Jean's additional weight, and Rogue dashed forward to help him.

"Thanks," he breathed once the earth had calmed, shifting Jean in his arms. Rogue let go of his arm and quickly looked away.

"Where's Shadowcat?" Logan suddenly demanded, whirling. Rogue glanced around the scene. Was Kitty still in the X-Van?

"She was--"

"Here I am!" Kitty's voice rang out as she phased through the wall of a department store at their backs. "I'm okay!"

"Well, that's seven out of nine," Logan observed as Amara staggered up to their group, a weary grin on her face. Rogue followed his gaze as it moved towards the battle between the Blob and blue-furred Hank. Evan saw their target and mounted his skateboard once more, rocketing towards the struggle with a battle cry.

"Todd's out; he will have a headache for a good while," Storm's stately voice commented as she alighted next to Logan, a cloak of wind whirling around her. The light-haired Toad was slumped on the bank's side of street, his clothes and hair charred and smoking.

"You fried him pretty good," Logan replied, raising an eyebrow.

"What happened to Jean?" Kitty asked suddenly, alarmed.

"_Wanda_ happened," Scott growled.

Rogue shifted her gaze to the offending mutant, noting wryly that Scott had done a decent impression of Logan. "What's she _doin'_?" she wondered aloud, watching the cloaked figure as she moved carefully towards them. A flash of white revealed Quicksilver appearing at her back.

"Family reunion, huh?" Logan snarled, unsheathing his claws with a metallic click. "Heads up, everyone. This could get real nasty, real fast."

Storm was quickly doing a head count of their group. "Evan and Hank are fighting Blob, but I think we're all accounted for." As they watched, the bulky mutant slumped to the ground, dazed. The Beast and Spyke quickly made their way back over to the rest of the X-Men.

"Should we get out of here while we can?" Kitty asked, watching in distress as Lance joined Wanda and Pietro's slow advance.

"My vote is yes," Scott spoke up. "We need to get Jean to safety."

"But if we abandon the mission now, the Brotherhood'll get what they were after!" Rogue protested. "And we _can't_ let 'em win!"

"I'm with Rogue," Spyke added as he and Hank rejoined their team.

"As much as I hate to continue a battle, I am as well," Storm agreed. "They are outmatched."

"Then let's _go_!" Amara demanded. "Before I drop _dead_ from waiting!"

"I miss Kurt," Kitty muttered to Rogue, who bit back a smirk.

"All right then, kids. On my mark, we hit 'em and hit 'em hard," Logan called out. "One, two…"

The word "two" had hardly touched his lips when the bank exploded in a blue-tinted flash of light.

"_Down!_" Storm shouted, summoning a wind that knocked them to the pavement. Someone cried out – it sounded like Kitty – and an immense heat rushed overhead. Rogue smelled burning hair and realized it was her, then decided it might be from all of them. Huge fireballs roared from the building as fragments of its roof ricocheted into the air, sending embers and debris raining down. Hot metal bit into Rogue's unprotected face and arms and back; she knew from surrounding hisses of pain that she was not the only one.

And then, as suddenly as it had happened, the heat was gone, and the X-Men were able to stand again. Rogue lurched to her feet and nearly fell before Logan braced her.

"Everyone okay?" he called, snarling softly as he watched the building slowly collapse on itself.

"Kitty's unconscious," Storm reported, picking up the small girl from the ground. Rogue saw Storm trembling with exhaustion and took her roommate. Storm smiled weakly in thanks.

"You need to eat more, Kitty," Rogue scolded her limp friend, shifting her in her arms. "You're light as a feather."

"Amara? Spyke?" Scott asked as he got to his feet. He had taken more serious burns than the rest as he shielded Jean's body.

"They're okay," Hank replied, helping the two young mutants up.

"What on earth _happened?_" Rogue wanted to know. There was no sign of the Brotherhood.

"They just fled the scene," Logan muttered in her ear, reading her question. "Undeniably guilty. Did you see the blue in that explosion? That was Wanda's work, or I'm an armadillo."

"Hurry, let's get out of here," Storm ordered as the sounds of sirens wailed in the distance. "I don't want to be the one to explain what happened when the authorities arrive."

The X-Men obeyed, hastening back up the alley from which Rogue entered. "I've got you, Ororo," Logan growled as Storm staggered. He carefully slung her arm over his shoulder. "We're almost there."

"I'll take Jean, Rogue, and Kitty in the van," Scott offered. Logan grunted his agreement.

As Rogue walked slowly towards the X-Van's precarious parking spot with her teammate limp in her arms, she glanced over her shoulder at the burning remains of the Riverside Bank. She had a feeling that the coming days would bring situations far different than any of them had experienced in the past.

* * *

**A/N:** Cue dramatic music! :D Hope you liked it, guys.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thank you again to everyone who's been reviewing! I really appreciate it -- you guys are wonderful. (:

* * *

**Desperate Measures**

Professor Xavier and Kurt were already waiting for them as they arrived.

"You all look _awful!_" Kurt exclaimed, looking over the ragged team as they assembled. Logan carried Storm, who had fainted on the way back, and Scott carried Jean. Hank, Evan, and Amara could walk in by themselves, but they sported burns and scratches. Only Logan was unscathed, though he was filthy like the rest of them.

"Let's get you all to the medical ward," Professor Xavier commented, his brow furrowed. "Then we can hear about the mission."

"Professor – the authorities –" Logan started. The Professor held up a hand.

"I've taken care of it," he replied. "The police arrived on site to find a gas leak not unlike the one at Bayville High a few months ago." He glanced at Scott shrewdly, who might have blushed under the layer of mixed soot and blood on his face.

"But there is something you need to know," the Professor continued in a different tone: edgier, more worried. "Come up to the medical ward immediately."

---

"_What do you mean, 'there were people inside'?!"_ Logan roared, eyes flashing dangerously as his claws slid out. Scott turned and slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, his expression twisted. Rogue sank heavily onto an unoccupied bed, burying her face in her hands.

"How many?" she managed, her voice rough.

"Five," the Professor answered in a flat tone. "Two security guards and three maintenance workers."

"Is it on the news?" Kurt asked after a pause. When the Professor nodded reluctantly, he continued. "What did they say?"

"_Not_ the right time, Kurt," Logan snarled, biting off his words.

They sat without talking for a while, each alone with his or her haunting thoughts. Rogue couldn't help but think of how they could have gotten them out in time, had they known.

"The bank was _closed_," she moaned softly, breaking the silence. "It's been closed _all week_."

"I know, kid," Logan muttered. "I know."

"What're we going to _do_?" Scott asked hoarsely. "We can't let them get away with this."

The scene flashed before Rogue's eyes: a blinding flash of blue light, the bank going up in a raging inferno. "It was Wanda's powers," she heard Hank say. He had followed them up the medical ward with Spyke and Amara, who had fallen asleep against each other the second they slid to the floor. It was shock; Professor X had been surprised that more of their team wasn't unconscious.

"Rogue?" Her name filtered into her awareness, and she glanced up. Kurt was standing across from her, his bright eyes wide and worried as his tail lashed back and forth in agitation. She shot him a tiny, trembling smile to reassure him that she was okay. He didn't look convinced.

"You do believe it was Wanda Maximoff, then," Professor Xavier was saying to the conscious members of the team. He had interlaced his fingers – his "thinking pose," Kitty called it. _Kitty_…Rogue looked at the small, dirt-stained figure of their Shadowcat on the bed closest to her. Storm and Jean occupied the next two.

"No doubt about it." She didn't know whose voice it was, and she couldn't focus in on it enough to figure it out. Her eyes dropped to the floor; she absently ran her gaze over the tiled floor of the room without seeing it.

"It was _her_ powers, Prof." That was Logan, she knew that much. "Blue light and all that."

She looked up as Professor Xavier sighed, massaging his temples. "I see there is no way around this. The next time the Brotherhood stages one of their schemes, we will have to take them captive. Taking innocent lives is going _quite_ far enough."

"I don't think they'll be tryin' anything any time soon," Logan growled. "They ran this time. I think they were pretty well scared."

"I should hope so," the Professor replied. He turned his wheelchair to overlook his bedraggled X-Men. "Let's see to your wounds, then you should rest. All of you have taken quite a beating."

"C'mon, kid," Logan's gruff voice sounded from close by, and an arm hauled Rogue to her feet. She blinked, focusing on him as well as she could. "Let's get these burns cared for."

---

It was close to three in the morning, and Rogue had been awake for about an hour. The silence in her room unsettled her; she never thought she could miss Kitty's sleep-talking so much.

Kitty's image triggered others in her head, the most powerful of which taking place during yesterday's race through the back alleys of Bayville. Rogue couldn't remember ever seeing Kitty so terrified. She had seen her cry a few times, but those had been few and far between and nothing like her nervous breakdown in the X-Van.

_It wasn't the idea of rushing into a battle,_ Rogue thought. _We've seen plenty of those in our time._ _Maybe it was something to do with Scott's Demolition Derby-worthy driving._

She mused on these images for a few minutes, then quickly shut them off as they led to visions of the battle, and ultimately, the death of the civilians. _How could we not have known?_ She asked herself again. _X-Men don't go around killing people!_

Maybe she wasn't an X-Man, then. She hadn't had much to do with the battle anyways; she could have checked to made sure the bank was empty. She _should_ have checked to make sure the bank was empty. It was her fault those five people were dead. Her powers caused nothing but hurt, anyway. They couldn't be used to benefit anyone, only on a battlefield. She was a hazard to their cause. And besides, her carelessness had nearly gotten others killed before. When she had placed her trust in an outsider, in Risty. The thought of her…mother _using_ her like that…

Rogue shoved the blankets back and slid out of her bed, refusing to dwell on those thoughts anymore. They were the ones that haunted her in her darkest hours, the ones that concealed themselves in the shadowy corners of her heart. And she couldn't let them win.

Maybe some of the others were awake, she thought, forcing herself into a different line of thought. It was worth a look, anyway.

Soft footsteps coming down the hallway answered her thoughts and she darted to the door, determined to catch whoever it was. As she poked her head out into the dark corridor, she spotted Logan continuing towards the lower levels.

"Logan!" she whispered sharply. He started, whirling around and unearthing his claws in a single, fluid motion. Seeing her in the doorframe, he sighed.

"Hey, kid," he replied, sheathing his metallic appendages. "Couldn't sleep, huh?"

Rogue shook her head. "It's too quiet in here, without Kitty. Her bothersome snoring's enough to keep _anyone_ awake," she added defensively, then paused. "Are she and the others okay? She and Storm and Jean, Ah meant."

"Yeah, seems like it," Logan responded, rolling his large shoulders in a motion meant to release built-up tension. Rogue could see that every bit of him was on alert. "If you want, the Prof's in the kitchen. You can come ask him, seeing as you prob'ly won't be doing much sleeping."

"Might as well," Rogue shrugged, though she was secretly pleased that she wouldn't be alone at this hour of the morning. Logan resumed his pacing down the hallway without waiting for her to join him.

---

"Professor?" Rogue hesitated at the doorway of the large kitchen, gazing in. Scott was sitting on the polished table with the Professor next to him. They both stared up at the mounted television set flickering overhead. Watching the news, Rogue realized as a still shot of the wreckage of the bank took the screen. The Professor glanced over at her.

"Hello, Rogue," he greeted her with a kind smile. "Would you like to join us?"

"Ah didn't know the news was on this early in the mornin'," Rogue commented, crossing into the kitchen and looking up at the screen. The volume was low, though the phrase "catastrophic gas leak" still reached her ears.

"It's not. We taped this from earlier today," Scott replied. Rogue could guess from his untidy hair and clothes that he had slept little if at all. _Probably staying up with Jean,_ she thought bitterly.

"How are the others?" Rogue asked after a moment of silence.

"They'll be fine," Professor Xavier replied. "It's Kitty I'm most worried about; she suffered a concussion and will be out of commission for a week or so. Ororo was simply exhausted, and Jean was adversely affected by Wanda's spell."

"So they're okay?" Rogue struggled to keep the joy spilling from her heart from leaking into her words. The Professor smiled warmly.

"Yes, they are. You fought quite a battle yesterday, Rogue," he stated, holding her captive with his gaze. She felt a blush staining her cheeks and pulled away as his eyes released her. She knew he thought of her as something like a hero, but he didn't know anything. She wasn't fit to be an X-Man.

* * *

**A/N: **Whoo hoo! :D Hope you guys liked it!


End file.
